The Terrible Ones: South Africa’s 32 Battalion

Throughout the 1980s, I followed Soldier of Fortune magazine’s accounts of the 32 Battalion. Embedded journalists detailed daring missions and provided firsthand interviews with these legendary troops. I remember reading about their effectiveness in the field against SWAPO, their primary enemy at the time.

SWAPO, or the South West Africa People’s Organization, was a communist guerrilla unit. However, against the superbly trained and highly motivated soldiers of the 32 Battalion, SWAPO was often outmatched.

The Battalion battered the communist guerrilla unit so badly on the plains and in the jungles of what is now Namibia that SWAPO’s fighting abilities, in comparison, were little more than an embarrassment.

No matter how hard they tried to best 32, the end result was always the same: dead insurgents and their AK-47s placed in piles after an ambush by what would become the most highly decorated and controversial unit of apartheid South Africa’s war against communism.

The Origins of 32 Battalion

The 32 Battalion originated with displaced mercenaries from the Angolan Civil War. That war ended in 1975 after the communists FAPLA (People’s Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola) seized power. The remnants of the opposing force, known as the FNLA (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola), sought refuge in nearby countries. Many headed to South Africa, hoping to find support and continue the struggle.

That same year, FNLA requested the sympathetic ear of Colonel Jan Breytenbach of the South African Special Forces Brigade. He asked and received permission to form a unit around the displaced fighters called Bravo Group.

Yet, despite the unit’s foreigners pledging allegiance to South Africa, the chain of command almost destroyed the unit before it got off the ground.

After much persuading and Breytenbach’s refusal to abandon them, the detachment was allowed to not only exist but to grow until it contained two rifle companies, a machine gun platoon, a motor platoon, an antitank section, and a reconnaissance section. This amounted to about 600 men, with both blacks and whites filling its ranks.

The unit was then deployed to southwest Africa and, occasionally, Angola itself, functioning as a versatile “fire brigade,” employing a mix of conventional and unconventional techniques to engage the communist groups intent on imposing totalitarianism on South Africa.

These groups included FAPLA, their Cuban mentors, and SWAPO, which the 32 Battalion would later decimate almost like a sport.

Over the next 15 years, the 32 Battalion engaged in numerous operations, some in collaboration with other forces and others, like their most famous solo mission in 1980, independently.

Angola Beckons

With the arrival of the new decade, many of the 32 Battalion members remained in great desire to renew efforts in Angola. Still angry that they lost, they did not intend to let Angola grow in strength and export its brand of utopia toward South Africa’s border.

When a unique military situation presented itself in their former country, they were all too happy to return. This would be Operation Tiro A Tiro, a campaign against a major FAPLA base at Savate, 47 miles across the border on the Cubango River.

By this stage of the game, Angola’s communists faced another significant challenge to their authority, which resided within the country. It was called UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) and was created under the leadership of Doctor Jonas Savimbi.

The UNITA guerrilla force often operated hand-in-hand with South African Defense Forces to keep the Angolan military busy. They scored huge victories that put the southern region of Angola at risk of coming under the unit’s control. Yet, it needed help to ensure that the 32 Battalion got the call to wipe out what was left of one of FAPLA’s strongest holdouts.

Soon, a plan was finalized. The attack would be conventional. It would use two rifle companies (with one being held in reserve) for the main attack against the FAPLA base. Reconnaissance teams and a mortar platoon would provide cover and operate as a blocking force.

As is typical in these operations, surprise was crucial; therefore, no air support would be provided.

On May 15, at the Battalion’s forward operating base in Ovamboland, Namibia, the force, consisting of 270 brave men, boarded armored personnel carriers and heavy trucks and headed into southern Angola and the drop-off point.

Over the following days, the convoy advanced towards Savate, utilizing reconnaissance units to monitor the FAPLA base’s troop strength and vehicle movements.

As the 32 Battalion neared the base, the recon teams employed kayaks to navigate the Cubango River. Once all necessary information was gathered, the two rifle companies disembarked from their vehicles three miles from the base. They attacked the main encampment at approximately 0900 hours on May 21, under the cover of a mortar barrage.

The Largest Battle in Africa Since WWII

The Decisive Battle of Savate

The fighting was fierce and fast-paced. The two companies approached in different directions and swept through the startled garrison. Another contingent attacked the nearby vital airfield.

After approximately four hours of combat, including moments when FAPLA fired rocket artillery in vain to stave off the battle’s outcome, the objectives were realized. FAPLA was evicted and put on the run, with over 500 killed and wounded. The 32 Battalion suffered 13 dead and 22 wounded against a force over four times its size.

After a UNITA occupying force arrived, the battle-weary men boarded their vehicles and headed back toward Namibia, unaware they had scored one of the greatest victories in South Africa’s history.

From then on, May 21 is revered and celebrated as “Savate Day” by former members of the 32 Battalion.

Continued Operations and Counterinsurgency

After Savate, the Battalion continued hit-and-run raids into Angola but diverted more of their time toward the other threat that kept pestering them: SWAPO.

SWAPO’s intent was to remake Namibia in the image of Angola while using Angola as a base of operations. They operated in mostly small units, using terror tactics.

Meanwhile, the 32 Battalion proceeded to hunt them down mercilessly. In many cases, all its members had to do was deploy their secret weapon: seasoned trackers. These men knew the African bush better than any man or animal.

Raised in the art from birth and superior to a bloodhound, they picked up the slightest variance or disturbance on the ground. They led ambush teams to encampments where many of the guerrillas were killed as they slept. To blend in, white members of the ambush teams painted all their exposed skin black so as not to give away the unit’s type at a distance if spotted during the day.

All of these tactics paid off. During this time, 32 Battalion suffered minor losses; in contrast, by the end of the 1980s, SWAPO was having to force unwilling villagers on gunpoint into its ranks.

Enemy propaganda often called the 32 Battalion “The Terrible Ones“ for their brutal efficiency. The bullet-ridden corpses of SWAPO members served as poster children for this.

Legacy of 32 Battalion

The 32 Battalion blossomed into masters of counterinsurgency. It could still answer the call one final time as a conventional force when it ventured back into Angola in numbers to participate in the 1987-88 battle of Cuito Cuanavale.

This was when another incursion was needed to stop one of FAPLA’s last attempts to destroy UNITA and deny the barren SWAPO’s use of staging areas.

The battle raged for six months. It was the largest battle on the continent since World War II.

The outcome was that UNITA survived, SWAPO lost its staging areas, and FAPLA suffered its greatest defeat. Once more, the 32nd Battalion added another streamer and bucketloads of medals to its record. As the decade ended, communism was in retreat all over Africa.

The End of 32 Battalion Was Written in the Blood of Innocents

The 32 Battalion grew in size in the 1990s but became less active due to Namibia’s declaration of independence in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

At that point, it seemed that nothing could tarnish the 32 Battalion’s accomplishments. That was until April 8, 1992. The day sealed the Battalion’s fate forever by writing its epitaph in the blood of innocents.

In a town called Phola Park, 32 Battalion was deployed and ended up using live ammunition against several civilians.

Images of the dead played all over television. South Africa, going through a touchy transition to the Mandela and African National Congress era, ordered a commission to investigate.

The findings concluded that an atrocity had been perpetrated.

Ultimately, the unit was disbanded on March 26, 1993.

Its fantastic record is now forgotten, and its members are shunned, only praised and recalled by those who served within its ranks. They rank as one of the greatest fighting forces in the history of the African continent.

This article was written by Mike Perry and originally published in 2016. It has been edited for republication.

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